Lifen Htet

Research/Areas of Interest

Postpartum depression impacts at least 20% of mothers globally where 75% of them experience postpartum blues after giving birth. Preclinical and clinical findings have shown that women with postpartum depression have a lower level of allopregnanolone— a progesterone-derived neurosteroid that is produced endogenously in the brain, compared to healthy controls. In the Maguire lab, I investigate the therapeutic effects of neurosteroids on transgenic mice that mimic postpartum depression-like behaviors. By targeting the δ-subunit of the GABAA receptors, I hope to further understand the neurobiological mechanisms of neurosteroid treatments for postpartum mental health and maternal care.